Southern California Edison says equipment likely started Hurst Fire

LOS ANGELES - Southern California Edison says its equipment likely started the Hurst Fire in Sylmar last month, according to a filing submitted with the state Public Utilities Commission Thursday. 

In the filing, Paul Pimentel of SCE wrote that while the Los Angeles Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, "Absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire."

The filing notes that the fire originated in the vicinity of an SCE transmission tower north of Saddle Ridge Road. SCE concedes in the filing that a conductor failure occurred on the tower the night of Jan. 7, causing damaged equipment to fall to the ground at the base of the tower.

The filing comes nearly a month after SoCal Edison determined that one of their circuits in the Eagle Rock - Sylmar area "experienced a relay" approximately one minute after the Hurst Fire was initially reported. The department also found a downed line at a tower associated with that circuit.

The Hurst Fire burned nearly 800 acres when it sparked Jan. 7. It did not destroy any structures or result in any deaths. The fire was active for 8 days before it was fully contained. 

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In the meantime, SoCal Edison is also investigating whether an idle transmission line in the Eaton Fire became energized and possibly sparked the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

Footage from a gas station security camera allegedly shows real-time video, which is the strongest evidence yet showing sparks falling, according to attorneys. Then 10 minutes later, the entire hillside was on fire. 

SoCal Edison maintains there is no evidence that its equipment is responsible for starting the Eaton Fire, which burned 14,000 acres.

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"While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE's equipment was involved," Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of SCE's parent company, Edison International, said in a statement Thursday. "We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts."

SCE officials said its investigation into the fire's cause is likely to take several more months.